(!llt:e  (!ir:ettf:ell  ^s^tctinixttn 


OF    AMERICA 


FOR    AIDING     PHILANTHROPIC     WORK     AMONG 


Qlhc  ^tt^  ^^^  ^hhtxmtxt  ixf  ^nhrn^tix 


HENRY    VAN    DYKE,  President 


4J  ^f^^r^£^^^//^- 


UCSB    LIBRARY 


Trap-boat  Fishermen 


The  Andrew  J.  McCosh 


St.  Anthony  Hospital 


The  Orphanage 


A  Happy  Eskimo  Mother 


A  BIT  OF  AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 
By  Wilfred  T.  Grenfell. 

In  1883,  while  I  was  studying  medicine  at  the  London 
Hospital  in  Whitechapel,  I  was  attracted  by  a  huge 
crowd  going  into  a  large  tent  in  the  slums  of  Stepney. 
There  was  singing  going  on  inside,  and  curiosity  led 
me  in. 

As  I  left  with  the  crowd,  I  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  my  religious  life  was  a  humbug.  I  vowed  in  future 
that  I  would  either  give  it  up  or  make  it  real.  It  was 
obviously  not  a  thing  to  be  played  with,*  *  * 

Some  time  later  I  heard  that  one  of  England's  famous 
cricketers,  whose  athletic  distinctions  I  greatly  admired, 
Mr.  J.  E.  K.  Studd,  was  going  to  speak  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  I  went  to  hear  him.  Seated  in  front  of  me 
there  were  two  or  three  rows  of  boys  from  a  training- 
ship,  all  dressed  in  the  same  uniform.  At  the  end  of  his 
speech  Mr.  Studd  invited  any  one  who  was  not  ashamed 
to  confess  that  Christ  was  his  Master  for  this  life,  rather 
than  a  kind  of  insurance  ticket  for  the  next  world,  to 
stand  up.  I  was  both  ashamed  and  surprised  to  find  that 
I  was  afraid  to  stand  up.  I  did  not  know  I  was  afraid  of 
anything.  One  boy  out  of  all  this  large  number  rose  to 
his  feet.  I  knew  pretty  well  what  that  meant  for  him, 
so  I  decided  to  back  him  up  and  do  the  same. 

With  this  theological  outfit,  I  started  on  my  missionary 
career.  What  to  do  was  the  next  question.  I  went  to 
the  parson  of  a  church  where  I  occasionally  attended,  and 
oflFered  myself  for  a  class  of  boys  in  his  Sunday-school. 
They  were  downright  East  Londoners,  and  their  spiritual 
education  needed  other  capacities  than  those  with  which 
I  had  in  my  mind  till  then  endowed  the  Sunday-school 
teacher.  I  remember  being  surprised  that  one  boy,  whom 
I  carried  to  the  door  by  the  seat  of  his  trousers  and 
heaved  into  the  street,  objected  by  endeavoring  to  kick^ 
while  his  "pals"  in  the  school  were  for  joining  him  in 
open  mutiny.  He  got  the  last  word,  however,  by  climb- 
ing up  outside  the  window  and  waving  a  hymn-book 
which  he  had  stolen. 

The  next  time  I  arrived  the  boys  had  got  in  before  mc. 


2 A    BIT   OF   AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 

(and  out  also),  and  the  pictures  and  furniture  were  not 
as  I  had  left  them.  I  started  to  reform  them  in  the  ways 
that  appealed  most  to  myself.  Five  of  us  medical  students 
had  a  house  of  our  own  ;  we  used  to  clear  our  dining  room 
of  furniture  and  replace  it  with  a  horizontal  bar  and  a 
couple  of  pairs  of  boxing  gloves.  We  were  able  to  lead 
in  these  things  our  noisiest  boys,  so  they  learned  to  con- 
trol their  own  tempers  and  respect  our  capacities  more. 
*  ♦  « 

My  medical  course  being  finished,  I  began  to  cast  about 
for  some  way  in  which  I  could  satisfy  the  aspirations  of 
a  young  medical  man  and  combine  with  them  a  desire  for 
adventure  and  definite  Christian  work.  Sir  Frederick 
Treves,  the  famous  surgeon,  also  a  daring  sailor  and 
master  mariner,  who  had  twice  helped  us  at  our  camp, 
and  for  whom  I  had  been  doing  the  work  of  an  "interne" 
at  the  London  Hospital,  suggested  my  seeing  if  a  doctor 
could  live  at  sea  among  the  deep-sea  fishermen  on  one  of 
the  vessels  of  the  Society  for  which  he  was  a  member  of 
the  council.*  *  * 

Encouraged  by  results  in  1892,  I  received  the  loan  of 
the  largest  of  the  sailing  vessels,  a  craft  of  ninety-seven 
tons  burden,  in  which  we  sailed  to  the  Labrador  coast  to 
see  whether  among  English-speaking  fishermen  of  the 
Northwest  Atlantic,  similar  results  might  not  be  achieved. 

In  three  months  we  had  nine  hundred  patients,  to 
whom  we  could  thus  commend  our  Gk)spel  with  pills  and 
plasters,  without  fear  of  denominational  interference.  Be- 
sides this  we  had  witnessed  a  condition  of  poverty  to 
which  we  had  been  quite  strangers  over  on  the  other  side. 
Unable  to  do  on  the  ship  to  those  men,  as  we  would  have 
them  do  unto  us  under  similar  circumstances,  we  called 
on  the  way  home  at  St.  John's,  Newfoundland,  and  laid 
the  matter  before  the  merchants,  asking  for  help  to  build 
a  hospital  on  the  land,  and  promising  to  bring  out  a  doc- 
tor and  nurse  to  live  there  if  they  built  it. 

We  have  now  four  hospitals  on  that  desolate  coast — • 
not  palaces  for  pain  such  as  one  sees  in  these  great  cities, 
but  humble  wood  buildings  where  a  qualified  doctor  and 
trained  nurse  reside,  where  besides  their  own  rooms,  they 
have  a  dozen  beds  for  sick  people,  a  convalescent  room, 
an  operating  room,  and  an  isolation  ward.  These  places 
are  not  only  hospitals  but  hotels,  places  to  which  any  one 
and  every  one  is  expected  to  come  in  sickness  or  any 
other  kind  of  trouble  whatever.  Needless  to  say,  they 
come  often  very  long  distances — in  their  boats  in  summer^ 


BY    WILFRED   T.    GRENFELL 


in  dog-sleighs  in  winter.  We  do  our  part  in  the  sum- 
mer cruising  in  the  hospital  ships,  the  largest  of  which 
I  serve  as  captain,  and  in  winter  by  traveling  from  place 
to  place — moving  practically  all  the  time,  only  making  the 
hospital,  which  is  kept  open  by  the  nurse,  the  headquar- 
ters to  which  we  return  whenever  we  think  it  necessary. 
Here  other  methods  of  commending  our  Gospel  are 
also  open  to  us,  owing  to  the  extraordinary  poverty  and 
isolation  of  the  people.  Lack  of  experience  made  us  sat- 
isfied for  the  first  three  years  to  try  to  cope  with  the  ques- 
tion of  hunger  and  nakedness,  by  collecting  and  dis- 
tributing warm  clothing,  and  assisting  the  people  in  vari- 
ous ways  to  get  food. 

It  was  not  until  1896  that,  seeing  the  futility  of  giving 
financial  help  to  men  who  had  to  pay  from  $7  to  $8  for 
a  barrel  of  flour  worth  $4,  and  $2.50  to  $3  for  a  hogshead 
of  salt  which  could  be  bought  at  St.  John's  for  $1,  we 
set  to  work  to  find  a  new  sermon  to  preach  on  this  sub- 
ject. Many  of  our  most  piteous  cases  at  hospital  were 
the  direct  fruit  of  chronic  semistarvation.  Thus  our  peo- 
ple fell  victims  to  tuberculosis  of  glands  and  bones,  owing 
only  to  the  marasmus  induced  by  insufficient  food.  This 
was  more  especially  the  case  among  children.  A  uni- 
versal system  of  truck  business  prevailed ;  the  "catch"  of 
to-morrow  was  mortgaged  for  the  food  of  to-day.  The 
people  seldom  or  never  saw  cash.  The  inevitable  results 
were  poverty,  thriftlessness,  and  eventually  hopelessness. 
The  contention  of  the  trader  was  always  that  the  men's 
poverty  was  because  they  did  not  catch  enough  to  support 
themselves.  The  answer  was  that  they  got  enough  to 
support  at  least  thirty  traders. 

We  started  a  sermon  with  a  cooperative  store  as  a  text 
The  people  around  it  were  all  heavily  in  debt ;  most  win- 
ters they  received  so  much  government  relief  to  keep 
them  from  actual  starvation  that  the  place  was  known  as 
"The  Sink."  The  people  were  almost  all  illiterate  and 
knew  nothing  about  business,  and  the  little  store  went 
through  varying  fortunes.  They  had  very,  very  Httle 
money  to  put  in,  and  even  that  they  were  afraid  to  put  in 
under  their  own  names,  for  fear  the  traders  should  find 
out  and  punish  them.  One  trader  wrote  me  denying  our 
right  to  interfere  with  his  people,  as  if  those  whom  he 
had  tried  to  lead  me  to  think  were  only  the  recipients  of 
his  "charity,"  existed  solely  for  the  benefit  of  his  trade.  I 
need  not  say  that  we  had  now  to  regret  gaps  in  the 


A   BIT   OF  AUTOBIOGRAPHY 


prayer-meetings  once  filled  so  fervently  by  our  friends, 
the  enemy. 

Looking  at  the  results  of  the  sermon  seven  years  after- 
ward, I  find  the  people  clothed,  fed,  independent,  with  a 
new  little  church  building,  and  children  far-and-away 
better  clad  and  educated.  The  movement  has  spread: 
there  are  now  eight  cooperative  stores,  with  a  schooner 
called  the  "Cooperator,"  which  carries  their  products  to 
and  from  the  markets;  the  price  of  flour  has  uniformly 
kept  under  $5  a  barrel ;  the  price  of  salt  has  been  reduced 
nearly  50  per  cent.,  and  other  things  in  proportion.  We 
have  had  many  troubles  owing  to  poor  fisheries,  our  own 
ignorance  of  methods  of  business,  and  our  isolation.  But 
our  storekeepers  and  crew  are  Christian  men,  well  aware 
that  the  best  Gospel  they  can  preach  is  to  keep  the  store 
for  Christ.  As  a  contrast,  I  sent  down  a  young  friend 
from  Boston,  who  had  once  been  a  preacher  on  the  coast, 
giving  him  $100  for  his  holiday  to  stay  at  this  first  store 
and  "teach  them  how  to  manage  a  cooperative  store." 
He  was  some  three  days  at  the  store  himself,  seeing 
"nothing  to  do";  the  rest  of  his  time  he  spent  preaching 
along  the  coast.  The  consequence  was  that  the  store  suf- 
fered very  materially,  for  I  was  home  next  year,  and  the 
people,  afraid  to  handle  their  money,  left  the  whole  of 
their  capital  in  the  bank.  I  don't  know  that  the  memory 
of  his  sermons  is  a  justification  for  his  view  of  what  was 
''most  important"  to  the  kingdom  of  God  on  the  coast. 

One  of  the  chief  troubles  with  our  people  was  the  long 
enforced  idleness  of  the  winter  and  the  consequent  neces- 
sity of  living  largely  on  the  summer  ''catch."  This  neces- 
sitated their  remaining  scattered  on  the  chance  of  catch- 
ing fur-bearing  animals  in  the  winter,  even  if  the  actual 
"catch,"  as  was  often  the  case,  didn't  amount  to  a  barrel 
of  flour  for  the  whole  time.  This  again  prevented  their 
children  being  reached  for  educational  purposes.  It  was 
long  a  problem  to  us  what  ought  to  be  done  to  meet  the 
difficulty.  Eventually  we  took  up  a  grant  of  timberland 
on  which  the  Newfoundland  Government  permitted  me 
special  conditions,  and  we  started  to  aggregate  the  people 
in  winter  by  affording  them  remunerative  work  about  the 
mill.  To  this  we  have  added  a  small  schooner-building 
yard,  and  hope  shortly  to  add  a  cooperage,  as  we  use 
many  barrels  in  the  fish  industry.  We  have  gathered 
together  about  this  small  effort  this  winter  some  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  people.  A  small  school-house  has  been 
erected,  and  those  who  are  managing  the  mill  know  that 


BY    WILFRED   T.    GRENFELL 


this  effort  is  their  text  from  which  they  are  to  preach 
their  sermon. 

There  can  be  no  question  that  the  Christ  would  to-day 
support  all  manly  and  innocent  pastimes.  So,  to  meet  the 
needs  of  the  long  wintry  evenings  we  have  comman- 
deered the  two  small  jails  in  our  district  and  converted 
them  into  clubs,  with  a  library  and  games,  which  have 
been  supplemented  by  the  importation  of  footballs  made 
of  rubber  for  service  on  the  snow.  This  has  become  so 
popular  that  our  Eskimo  women  join  the  game  with  their 
babies  in  their  hoods,  and  seal-skin  footballs  stuffed  with 
dry  grass  have  sprung  into  existence  all  along  the  coast. 

The  toys,  which  we  usually  credit  Santa  Claus  with 
bringing  from  the  North,  had  hitherto  been  conspicuous 
by  their  absence,  the  supply  perhaps  being  exhausted. 
Anyhow  the  birthdays  of  the  Labrador  children,  like  the 
birthday  of  our  Lord,  have  never  been  characterized  by 
the  joyful  celebrations  that  formed  oases  in  our  own  child 
life.  We  have  turned  the  current  of  toys  back  to  the 
North  again.  True,  the  dolls  are  often  legless,  the  tops 
are  dented,  and  the  Noah's  arks  resemble  hospitals.  But 
these  trifles  have  made  the  Christmas  tree  on  the  birthday 
of  the  Saviour  no  less  a  message  of  the  love  of  God  to 
these  many  birthdayless  children,  who  thus  keep  their 
own  on  that  day. 

We  have  become  residuary  legatees  for  all  the  real 
estate  in  the  orphan  children  line.  Some  years  ago  I 
buried  a  young  Scotch  fisherman  and  his  wife  in  a  deso- 
late sandspit  of  land  running  out  into  one  of  the  long 
fjords  of  Labrador.  Amidst  the  poverty-stricken  group 
that  stood  by  as  the  snow  fell,  were  five  little  orphan 
children.  Having  assumed  the  care  of  all  of  them,  I 
advertised  two  in  a  Boston  newspaper  and  received  an 
application  from  a  farmer's  wife  in  New  Hampshire. 
Later  on  I  visited  the  farm;  it  was  small  and  poor  and 
away  in  the  backwoods.  The  woman  had  children  of  her 
own.  Her  simple  explanation  as  to  why  she  took  the 
children  is  worth  recording:  "I  cannot  teach  in  the  Sun- 
day-school or  attend  prayer-meetings,  Doctor.  They  are 
too  far  away,  and  I  wanted  to  do  something  for  the 
Master.  I  thought  the  farm  would  feed  two  more  chil- 
dren." I  was  glad  she  could  not  speak  at  the  prayer- 
meetings.  Perhaps  after  all  we  grade  our  Christians  by 
a  wrong  standard.  How  many  are  losing  the  chances  of 
preaching  sermons  that  need  no  oratory?  Is  it  one  of  the 


6 A   BIT   OP  AUTOBIOGRAPHY 

causes  of  the  failures  of  the  churches  that  so  much  unde- 
veloped capacity  remains  in  the  pews? 

In  what  relation  would  the  Christ  stand  to-day  to 
wrong-doing?  On  our  wild  and  almost  uncharted  coast, 
where  the  visits  of  strangers  are  very  rare,  many  wrecks 
occurred  that,  to  say  the  least,  suggested  to  the  under- 
writers that  no  illegal  efforts  had  been  made  to  save 
them.  We  were  asked  by  Lloyds'  Underwriting  Agency 
to  act  as  agents  for  them  and  furnish  reports  in  case  of 
losses  occurring.  At  first  we  declined,  fearing  that  the 
kind  of  espionage  which  would  be  necessary  would  be 
likely  to  interfere  with  our  "spiritual"  work.  Later  we 
began  to  think  that  it  was  not  necessary  to  knock  all  the 
spirit  out  of  men  to  make  them  ''spiritual,"  so  we  ac- 
cepted the  post  of  Magistrate  for  the  coast,  and  also 
Lloyds'  agency. 

Steaming  down  a  long  fjord  late  in  October,  we  picked 
up  the  crew  of  a  small  steamer  wrecked  on  the  north 
shore.  After  landing  the  men  for  the  last  boat  south  to 
take  them  home,  we  returned  and  raised  the  steamer — 
hauled  her  keel  out  of  the  water  at  low  tide,  and  found 
the  only  damage  was  a  hole  driven  with  a  crowbar  in  her 
bottom.  In  endeavoring  to  tow  her  some  six  hundred 
miles  south  to  St.  John's,  Newfoundland,  we  lost  her  in 
a  gale  of  wind  at  sea,  and  with  her  our  evidence  of  the 
crime. 

It  did  not  take  us  long  to  find  out  that  this  blow  at 
unrighteousness  had  made  us  more  enemies  than  many 
sermons.  We  have  a  saying  that  "it  is  only  when  you 
really  tread  on  the  devil's  tail  that  he  will  wag  it" — per- 
haps a  modern  synonym  for  "No  cross,  no  crown."  So 
long  as  the  battle  with  sin  is  fought  with  kid  gloves  on, 
there  will  never  be  any  need  of  the  "fellowship  of  suffer- 
ing." Last  season  after  every  one  had  left  the  coast, 
report  reached  St.  John's  that  a  large  vessel  loaded  with 
fish  and  fully  insured  had  been  lost  on  the  rocks  six  hun- 
dred miles  north.  On  account  of  the  rapidly  forming  ice, 
we  were  doubtful  whether  it  would  be  possible  to  get 
at  the  ship.  But  fortune  favored  us ;  we  were  able  to  get 
her,  raise  her,  and,  almost  to  our  own  surprise,  we  were 
able  to  tow  her,  in  spite  of  December  gales,  safely  to  St. 
John's  Harbor.  The  consignee  (the  same  man  who  had 
owned  the  steamer  we  lost,  and  who  had  "suflFered  other 
losses")  was  found  guilty  of  barratry  and  sent  down  t« 
penal  servitude. 

It  is  said  that  the  world  consists  of  two  kinds  of  pec- 


BY    WILFRED    T.   GRENFELL 


pie,  "those  who  go  out  and  try  to  do  something"  and 
those  who  "stay  home  and  wonder  why  they  don't  do  it 
some  other  way."  How  would  the  critic  look  at  this? 
Was  it  "missionary"?  *  *  *  Is  not  the  real  problem  of 
Christianity  how  best  to  commend  it  to  the  world  ?  Can 
it  most  truly  be  advocated  by  word  or  deed?  Can  wc 
afford  to  divorce  the  "secular"  from  the  "religious,"  any 
more  than  the  "religious"  from  the  "secular"  ?  It  seems 
to  me  there  is  only  one  way  to  reach  the  soul — that  is, 
through  the  body.  For  when  the  soul  has  cast  off  the 
body  we  cannot  reach  it  at  all. — From  the  Outlook. 

Interesting  descriptions  of  Dr.  Grenf ell's  works  are: 
Off  the  Rocks,  Down  to  the  Sea,  by  W.  T.  Grenfell, 
$1.CX)  each ;  Labrador,  by  Dr.  Grenfell  and  others,  $2.25 ; 
Adrift  on  a  Pan  of  Ice,  by  W.  T.  Grenfell,  75c ;  A  Man's 
Helpers,  A  Man's  Faith,  What  Life  Means  to  Me,  by 
W.  T.  Grenfell,  50c  each.  These  books  may  be  ordered 
from  the  Secretary  of  the  Grenfell  Association. 

AMONG  THE  DEEP  SEA  FISHERS, 
a  quarterly  magazine,  is  devoted  entirely  to  the  interest 
of  the  work.    Subscriptions  (50  cents  per  year)  may  be 
sent  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Grenfell  Association. 


AN  OUTLINE  HISTORY 

1893 — The  hospital  vessel  Albert  sailed  from  England 
with  Dr.  Grenfell  in  charge  as  the  only  Mission 
doctor.  He  spent  three  months  on  the  coast,  hold- 
ing services  and  treating  900  sick  folk. 

1893 — Battle  Harbor  Hospital  was  presented  by  friends 
in  St.  John's,  Newfoundland,  and  opened  during 
the  summer  under  a  qualified  nurse  and  doctor. 
The  launch  Princess  May  was  added  to  enable  the 
ship  to  do  more  work. 

1894 — Indian  Harbor  Hospital  was  opened  for  the  sum- 
mer, and  for  the  first  time  Battle  Harbor  Hospital 
was  kept  open  in  winter.  Friends  in  Canada  be- 
gan to  help  the  Mission. 

1895 — The  sailing  hospital  was  replaced  by  the  steamer 
Sir  Donald,  the  gift  of  Sir  Donald  A.  Smith,  who 
has  lived  many  years  in  Labrador.  Nineteen  hun- 
dred sick  folk  received  treatment.  Dr.  Roddick, 
of  Montreal,  presented  the  sailing  boat  Urelia 
McKinnon  to  the  Mission. 

1896 — A  small  cooperative  store  was  started  at  Red  Bay, 
in  the  Straits  of  Belle  Isle,  to  help  the  settlers  t» 


AN  OUTLINE  HISTORY 


cbcape  the  "truck  system"  of  trade  and  the  conse- 
quent loss  of  independence  and  thrift.  This  has 
since  spread  to  a  series  of  eight  with  very  bene- 
ficial results  to  the  very  poorest.  The  Sir  Donald 
was  carried  out  from  her  harbor  by  the  winter  ice 
and  found  by  the  seal  hunters  far  at  sea  still  frozen 
in.    She  had  to  be  sold. 

£897 — The  steam  launch  lulia  Sheridan,  given  by  a 
Toronto  lady,  replaced  the  Sir  Donald.  A  large 
mission  hall  was  attached  to  Indian  Harbor  Hos- 
pital for  the  use  of  the  fishermen.  Two  thousand 
patients  were  treated. 

1899 — Largely  through  the  munificence  of  the  High 
Commissioner,  the  steel  steam  hospital  Strathcona 
was  built  at  Dartmouth,  England,  and  fitted  with 
every  available  modern  appliance.  At  the  request 
of  the  settlers,  a  doctor  wintered  in  North  New- 
foundland. 

1900 — The  Strathcona  steamed  out  to  Labrador.  The 
settlers  on  the  Newfoundland  shore  of  the  Straits 
of  Belle  Isle  commenced  a  hospital  at  St.  Anthony, 
and  the  Mission  decided  to  adopt  that  place  as  a 
third  station. 

1901 — The  Newfoundland  Government  granted  $1,500  to 
stimulate  the  erection  of  St.  Anthony  Hospital.  A 
small  cooperative  lumber  mill  was  started  to  help 
the  settlers  of  the  poorest  district  to  get  remunera- 
tive work  in  winter,  when  they  often  faced  semi- 
starvation.  The  schooner  Cobperator  was  pur- 
chased and  rebuilt  by  the  people  to  assist  the 
cooperative  store  efforts. 

1902 — A  new  wing  was  added  to  Battle  Harbor  Hospital, 
with  a  fine  convalescent  room  and  a  new  operating 
room.  Indian  Harbor  Hospital  was  also  consider- 
ably enlarged.  Two  thousand  seven  hundred  and 
seventy-four  patients  received  treatment — no  of 
these  being  in-patients  in  the  little  hospitals.  The 
launch  Julia  Sheridan,  with  one  of  the  medical  offi- 
cers in  charge,  was  chartered  by  the  government 
to  suppress  an  outbreak  of  smallpox. 

1903 — Some  new  outbuildings  were  added  to  the  Indian 
Harbor  Hospital,  and  a  mortuary  and  store  were 
built  at  Battle  Harbor  Hospital.  The  third  and 
fourth  cooperative  stores  were  started  at  West 
St.  Modiste  and  at  Flowers  Cove  to  encourage 


BY    WILFRED   T.    GRENFELL 


cash  dealing  and  thrift.  The  Princess  May  went 
out  of  commission  and  was  sold. 

1904 — A  new  house  for  the  doctor  was  built  at  Battle 
Harbor.  The  steam  launch  Julia  Sheridan  had  to 
be  sold.  She  was  replaced  by  a  10  H.  P.  kerosene 
launch  called  by  the  same  name.  An  orphanage 
was  built  at  St.  Anthony  to  accommodate  fifteen 
children.  A  building  was  also  added  for  teaching 
loom  work  and  general  carpentering  and  lathe 
work. 

1905 — A  doctor  was  appointed  at  the  request  of  the  peo- 
ple on  the  Canadian  Labrador,  with  headquarters 
at  Harrington,  near  Cape  Whittle,  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  The  first 
schooners  were  built  at  the  lumber  mill,  which  is 
now  flourishing  and  helping  to  maintain  one  hun- 
dred odd  families.  Two  consulting  surgeons  from 
Boston  Universities  visited  us  during  the  summer 
to  help  in  the  work.  Through  the  generosity  of 
Mr.  Andrew  Carnegie,  between  thirty  and  forty 
small  portable  libraries  were  distributed  along  the 
coast,  containing  from  50  to  100  books  in  each. 

1906— Through  the  help  of  friends  in  Montreal  and 
Toronto  a  new  hospital  and  doctor's  house  were 
built  at  Harrington,  and  a  second  kerosene  launch, 
called  the  Northern  Messenger,  was  given  for  the 
work  there.  New  dog  sledges  and  teams  were 
also  given  by  the  Montreal  Weekly  Witness.  Some 
new  buildings  were  erected  at  St.  Anthony,  in- 
cluding some  small  farm  outbuildings,  and  some 
land  was  taken  up  from  the  Newfoundland  Gov- 
ernment with  a  view  to  trying  to  introduce  cattle. 

1906-07 — In  connection  with  the  cooperative  store  at 
Flowers  Cove,  an  industry  of  making  seal  skin 
boots  has  sprung  up,  and  1,500  pairs  of  boots  were 
exported  this  summer.  Around  these  small  indus- 
tries it  is  possible  to  aggregate  women  and  chil- 
dren in  the  winter  for  the  purpose  of  better  edu- 
cation, A  new  wharf,  stores  for  clothing  and  coal, 
and  a  large  mission  room  are  being  added  to  Bat- 
tle Harbor.  Seven  volunteers  have  joined  the 
staff: — the  lady  in  charge  of  the  orphanage,  an 
electrical  engineer  in  charge  of  the  general  me- 
chanical work,  a  teacher  for  night  school  and 
library  work.  The  fourth  hospital  was  kept  open 
all  last  summer  by  a  volunteer  doctor  from  Har- 


lo AN   OUTLINE   HISTORY 

vard  University  and  volunteer  nurses  from  Eng- 
land. A  teacher  of  arts  and  crafts  was  m 
charge  of  the  industrial  work  at  St.  Anthony  this 
year.  The  steam  launch  Daryl  was  given  by  the 
Dutch  Reform  Union  of  New  York  City  and 
taken  to  Labrador  by  Students  of  Harvard 
University. 
1907-08 — The  experiment  of  placing  a  trained  nurse  io 
fishing  settlements  farthest  from  the  little  hos- 
pitals has  taken  definite  form  in  the  building  of 
a  house  at  Forteau  on  the  southern  coast  of  Labra- 
dor, in  which  a  nurse  is  permanently  situated.  The 
people  of  the  place  gave  the  labor  freely,  and  the 
money  for  the  material  was  the  gift  of  a  veteran 
of  the  Civil  War,  who,  after  being  wounded  at 
Gettysburg,  journeyed  on  a  fishing  schooner  to 
Labrador  in  quest  of  health,  and  in  gratitude  for 
great  kindness  shown  him  wished  to  make  some 
return  to  the  people  of  the  coast.  A  second  sta- 
tion is  to  be  opened  at  Flowers  Cove,  at  which 
place  the  people  have  guaranteed  $200  a  year,  be- 
ing a  poll  tax  of  $1  per  annum  on  every  family 
over  that  long  district. 

No  less  than  four  more  small  cooperative  stores- 
have  sprung  into  existence,  showing  the  belief  of 
the  people  in  the  advantages  they  confer  in  help- 
iiig  to  give  independence  and  a  sufficient  living. 

An  electric  light  plant  has  been  installed  at  St 
Anthony  largely  through  the  kindness  of  the  Trus- 
tees of  Pratt  Institute  of  Brooklyn.  Not  only  has 
the  light  been  introduced  into  all  of  the  Mission 
buildings,  but  large  lights  have  been  placed  at  the 
wharf.  Pratt  Institute  also  sent  up  one  of  their 
graduates  to  install  the  plant.  Already  it  has 
proved  of  inestimable  value. 

Through  the  generosity  of  the  same  institution, 
three  Labrador  students  have  taken  courses  in- 
engineering,    that    they    may    afford    their    in- 
valuable aid  to  communal  life  on  the  coast. 

His  Excellency,  the  Governor  of  Newfound- 
land, Sir  William  MacGregor,  a  highly  skilled 
geodetic  surveyor,  has  spent  part  of  the  summer 
with  Dr.  Grenfell  on  the  Strathcona,  improving 
the  new  chart  of  all  the  northern  Labrador  coast. 
This,  it  is  hoped,  will  be  issued  shortly,  because  it 
is  so  badly  needed  by  the  many  fishing  craft  tha^^ 
visit  those  waters. 


BY   WILFRED    T.    GRENFELL ii 

A  new  power  yawl  was  donated  by  Mrs.  B.  H. 
Buckingham,  of  Washington,  and  brought  down 
by  Yale  students. 

Volunteer  teachers  did  excellent  work  this 
year  at  some  of  the  small  schools,  and  a  volun- 
teer from  the  experimental  farm  at  St.  Anne's 
did  splendid  work,  showing  us  that  we  can  grow 
many  vegetables  we  have  sore  need  of. 

The  new  nurses  sent  us  by  Baltimore,  a  Wash- 
ington friend,  and  others,  have  been  doing  invalu- 
able work.  We  have,  however,  been  very  short  of 
help  along  that  line  and  could  easily  have  found 
work  for  many  more.  Volunteer  students  from 
Johns  Hopkins,  Princeton,  Williams,  Yale,  and 
Bowdoin,  have  had  labors  imposed  on  them  they 
little  anticipated  when  they  set  out  for  the  sum- 
mer. But  all  have  done  excellent,  necessary  work, 
that  without  them  would  have  been  impossible. 
1908-09— $10,000  collected  by  Miss  Julia  Little  was 
expended  on  doubling  the  size  of  St.  Anthony 
Hospital.  When  58  patients  arrived  by  mail 
steamer  in  one  day  and  32  the  same  day  on 
schooners,  with  only  15  beds,  it  was  found  im- 
perative to  enlarge  the  accommodations.  The 
work  was  carried  on  under  Mr.  Luther  Turner 
of  the  Hill  School,  Pottstown,  Pa.,  with  many 
students  helping  him.  The  Orphanage  also 
was  doubled  in  size,  as  already  the  sitting- 
rooms  had  all  become  bedrooms.  It  is  now 
called  the  "Sayre  Orphanage" — and  will  accom- 
modate 40  children.  The  reindeer  herd  has 
multiplied  to  550,  and  much  sterilized  milk  was 
put  up  for  the  winter.  Some  4,000  logs  and  397 
wharf  sticks  were  hauled  home  on  an  average 
of  15  miles  by  these  animals.  One  or  two  that 
had  to  be  killed  were  exceedingly  valuable  both 
for  the  meat  and  the  hides.  Miss  Luther  is 
again  with  us  directing  the  industrial  work.  The 
cloth  weaving  has  spread  along  the  coast  and  a 
second  center  come  into  being.  Several  hun- 
dred dollars  worth  of  rugs,  homespuns,  and 
other  products  have  been  sold.  Some  excellent 
woven  rabbit  skin  rugs  have  proved  a  new  use 
for  these  natural  products. 

A  new  center  for  agriculture  was  begun  and 
much    new    land    cleared — oxen    and    ploughs 


12 AN    OUTLINE   HISTORY 

being  sent  down.  Mr.  Richardson  of  the  Mac- 
donald  Agricultural  College  furnished  sufficient 
vegetables  for  the  summer,  and,  with  more 
workers,  is  planning  to  operate  on  a  much  larger 
scale  next  year.  This  venture  we  look  on  as 
particularly  hopeful. 

Dr.  Wakefield,  who  has  joined  the  staff, 
brought  with  him  a  valuable  flock  of  Cumber- 
land sheep,  and  Dr.  Graham  Bell  of  Baddeck 
sent  us  a  fine  prize  Berkshire  ram.  A  small 
factory  for  tinning  salmon  and  berries,  and 
making  our  own  cod  liver  oil  ran  very  success- 
fully— some  of  the  salmon  sent  to  Boston  has 
been  judged  of  the  very  best.  Other  new  houses 
have  been  built  for  workmen.  A  large  new 
power  house  with  wood-working  machinery  has 
been  erected.  In  the  spring  a  haul-up  yard  for 
repairing  schooners  will  be  added  to  render  this 
a  valuable  new  branch  of  work. 

The  students  and  alumni  of  Princeton  Uni- 
versity purchased  and  brought  down  for  us  a 
beautiful  new  power  yawl  called  the  "Andrew  J. 
McCosh"  in  memory  of  their  noble  alumnus, 
Dr.  Andrew  J.  McCosh. 

A  large  new  reservoir  was  blasted  out  and 
concreted  largely  by  students  as  a  water  supply 
to  Battle  Harbor  Hospital — the  Government 
making  a  grant  of  half  the  expense.  Wireless 
telegraphy  was  installed  in  the  "Strathcona," 
and  now  we  can't  imagine  how  we  got  on  with- 
out it.  It  brings  our  fishermen  friends  within 
reach  of  help  and  of  valuable  fishing  information 
we  could  not  possibly  afiford  them  before. 

Among  many  volunteers  who  so  generously 
gave  us  their  help,  we  must  especially  thank 
nurses  Carr-Harris,  Hegan,  Wilson,  and  Allan; 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Armstrong,  Drs.  Butler,  Dimond, 
Musson,  Clark,  and  Tinker;  teachers,  Misses 
Allen,  McNair,  Muir,  and  Mr.  Ladd;  Miss 
Dwight,  the  housekeeper  of  the  Guest  House; 
other  workers,  Messrs.  Halsey,  Hilles,  and  stu- 
dents from  Yale,  Harvard,  Williams,  Princeton, 
and  Amherst.  The  special  ear  and  throat  work 
done  by  Dr.  Musson  of  Philadelphia,  brought 
relief  to  many  suffering  people.  The  Strath- 
cona  made  her  usual  long  summer  trip  but  was 


BV    WILFRED    T.    GRENFELL 13 

unfortunate  enough  to  run  on  the  rocks  and 
somewhat  damage  her  hull.  She  was,  however, 
got  off  by  the  generous  help  of  the  natives  and 
others,  and  finished  her  voyage  as  usual.  The 
expedition  to  catch  wild  caribou  for  breeding 
was  unsuccessful,  but  will  repeat  its  efforts  next 
year  under  the  leadership  of  Mr.  Edward  Barr. 

Seamen's  Institute.  The  work  on  the  new  Sea- 
men's Institute  is  at  last  begun.  A  splendid  site 
has  been  purchased, — the  old  site  having  been  so 
much  curtailed  by  the  widening  of  the  road  by 
the  City  Council  as  to  be  quite  unsuitable.  We 
look  on  this  as  a  most  important  effort  for  the 
welfare  of  the  fishermen,  and  are  very  anxious 
that  Mr.  Charles  Karnopp,  into  whose  hands  the 
carrying  out  of  the  work  is  entrusted,  shall  not 
be  hampered  by  want  of  funds.  The  Home  will 
benefit  every  sailor  visiting  the  port  and  should 
be  a  positive  factor  in  the  fight  with  the  saloons 
and  those  that  prey  on  sailors,  that  ages  of  nega- 
tive teaching  could  not  hope  to  accomplish. 
Most  fervently  do  we  ask  the  help  and  sympathy 
of  all  interested  in  fishermen  and  sailors  for  this 
branch  of  the  work. 
1909-'10 — Institute  commenced  and  building  in  process 
of  erection. 

St.  Anthony  Hospitai  doubled  and  hot  water, 
steam  heating,  and  water  supply  installed. 
Number  of  out-patients :  medical,  881 ;  surgical, 
826.    Total,  1707. 

Orphanage  doubled;  will  accommodate  forty 
children.  Steam  heating  and  hot  water  supply 
installed. 

Industrial.  Considerable  progress  made  in 
the  weaving  of  homespun — four  prizes  secured 
in  open  exhibition  in  St.  John's.  Apparatus  for 
polishing  Labrador  blue  stone  (Labradorite), 
successfully  installed. 

Engineering  work.  Large  new  steel  working 
engineering  lathe  installed  and  wood-working 
machinery.  A  haul-up  slip  commenced  for  re- 
pairing our  boats.  Much  work  done  on  peat 
bog,  drying  peat,  and  on  new  roads. 

Reindeer  now  800  in  good  condition ;  two  new 
apprentices;  Lapps  sent  home. 

Water  Supply.  A  new  enlarged  reservoir 
built  on  the  hillside  to  give  constant  supply  of 
running  water. 


AN  OUTLINE  HISTORY 


Tuberculosis.  A  large  new  open-air  shack 
added,  a  gift  of  the  Anti-Tuberculosis  Society, 
situated  among  the  trees  high  up  the  hillside 
above  the  hospital. 

Schools.  Large  new  school  built.  First  kin- 
dergarten apparatus  installed,  and  first  teaching 
commenced. 

Battle  Harbor.  The  large  new  reservoir  built 
and  constant  water  supply  brought  into  hospital. 
A  thorough  new  drainage  system  completed. 

The  yawl  "Pomiuk"  transferred  to  Battle 
owing  to  gift  from  "Yale"  to  Indian  Harbour. 

Agriculture.  First  ploughing  of  land  for  pas- 
ture. Much  work  done  in  clearing  and  fencing 
of  land,  and  experimenting  with  hardy  seeds  and 
plants. 

Wharf.  Wharf  lengthened  by  large  blocks, 
enabling  mail  steamer  to  come  directly  alongside 
to  land  and  re-embark  patients  without  the 
sometimes  disastrous  ferrying  in  small  boats. 

Stores.  New  coal  store  added.  A  new  store 
for  supplies  is  badly  needed. 

Indian  Harbor.  The  open  air  sunning  annex 
finished.  A  beautiful  new  power  yawl,  the 
"Yale,"  donated  and  brought  down  by  Yale  stu- 
dents, added  for  the  Doctor's  work.  Obtained 
Government  subsidy  to  carry  mails,  making  her 
work  more  efficient  and  economical. 

Harrington.  New  wharf  added.  Built  store 
and  carpenter's  shop.  Yawl  Daryl  transferred 
here  from  St.  Anthony,  where  she  was  replaced 
by  the  "McCosh,"  given  by  Princeton  students 
and  friends. 

Strathcona.  New  wheel  house  and  captain's 
cabin  added.  Marconi  system  again  carried  with 
great  advantage. 

Forteau.  A  doctor  stationed  here  all  winter, 
a  doctor  and  nurse  from  Battle  Harbor  trans- 
ferred to  Cartwright,  where  a  small  hospital 
was  opened  for  the  winter. 

Workers.  Two  volunteer  surgeons  from 
England,  one  Canadian  teacher,  one  doctor  and 
three  new  nurses  and  many  volunteers  from  the 
United  States,  helped  very  materially  in  the 
efficiency  of  the  work  of  the  Mission.  During 
the  year  more  than  5,0(X)  patients  received  treat- 
ment. 

W.  T.  GRENFELL. 


The  Grenfell  Association  ol  Ameiica 

( Incorporated  Under  the  Laws  of  New  York.) 

BOARD  OF  DIRECTORS. 

Henry  van  Dyke,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  President. 

D.  Bryson  Delavan,  M.D.,  Vice-President 

Willis  E.  Lougee,  Secretary, 
156  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York. 

Eugene  Delano,  Treasurer, 
59  Wall  Street,  New  York. 

liiNEST  Hamlin  Abbott  Wm.  DeW.  Hyde,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

Stephen  Baker  Arthur  Curtiss  James 

Frederick  Billings  Frederic  S.  Lee 

S.  Edgar  Briggs  Hamilton  W.  Maris,  LL.D. 
William  Adams  Brown,  D.D.    William  R.  Moody 

Clarence  J.  Blake,  M.D.  Edward  C.  Moore,  Ph.D.,  D.D. 

Harvey  Cushing,  M.D.  Herbert  L.  Satterlee 

WiLUAM  Adams  Delano  Franos  Lynde  Stetson 

Arthur  T.  Estabrook  J.  Frederick  Thomas 

Clitporo  Hubbxll  Allen  Wardwell 

Office  Secretary,  Miss  Jennie  L.  Gray 
Room  404,  156  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York 

Telephone,  5338  Gramercy 

The  object  of  the  Grenfell  Association  of  America  is  to 
assist  Dr.  Grenfell  in  his  work  in  Labrador  and  the  northern 
peninsula  of  Newfoundland. 

It  is  not  the  intention  of  the  Grenfell  Association  to  take  the 
place  of  the  support  now  furnished  to  Dr.  Grenfell  by  the  Home 
Society  or  by  the  other  friends  who  have  so  generously  con- 
tributed to  his  work  in  the  past,  but  rather  to  supplement  this  by 
additional  funds  for  the  expansion  and  increased  efficiency  of 
the  work. 

All  those  who  desire  to  have  a  part  in  this  work  are  re- 
qtiested : 

(1)  To  join  the  Grenfell  Association  of  America  (dues  $a 
annually). 

(3)  To  spread  information  about  and  promote  interest  in 
the  work. 

(3)  To  contribute  to  its  maintenance  either  by  subscription 
or  donation. 

Five  thousand  dollars  given  at  one  time  makes  one  a  Patron. 

Fifteen  hundred  dollars  will  endow  a  cot  permanently. 

One  thousand  dollars  given  at  one  time  makes  one  a  Life 
Member. 

Five  hundred  dollars  will  meet  the  annual  expenses  of  a 
hospital  launch. 

Fifty  dollars  will  support  a  cot  for  one  year. 

Thirty-five  dollars  will  furnish  a  room  in  the  Fishermen's 
Home,  and  give  the  donor  the  right  to  name  it. 

Seven  dollars  will  provide  a  ton  of  coal  for  the  steamer. 

Gifts  of  clothing  in  good  repair,  blankets,  books,  and  maga- 
zines for  loan  libraries,  medical  supplies,  dental  and  surgncal 
instruments,  toys  for  children,  lantern  slides  for  teaching,  will 
also  be  welcomed,  and  may  be  sent  to  the  Grenfell  AssodatioH, 
156  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York. 


mSB    LIBRARY 


16  TJIE  G  REN  FELL   ASSOCIATION 

Subscriptions  for  the  Association  and  membership  dues 
should  be  sent  to  Mr.  Eugene  Delano,  Treasurer,  59  Wall  Street, 
New  York;  all  other  communications  to  Mr.  Willis  E.  Lougee, 
Secretary,  Room  404,  156  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York. 

THE  GRENFELL  ASSOCIATION  OF  AMERICA,  INC. 
The  friends  and  supporters  of  Dr.  Grenfell  who  are  already 
organized  into  associations  or  committees  have  become  affiliated 
with  this  general  association,  and  thereby  are  enabled  to  aid  him 
more  effectively;  those  who  are  not  so  organized  can  form  such 
associations  or  committees  much  more  advantageously  with  the 
aid  of  the  general  association. 

NEW  ENGLAND  GRENFELL  ASSOCIATION 

William  DeW.  Hyde,  D.D.,  President 

Clarence  J.  Blake,  M.D.,  Vice-President 

Miss  E.  E.  White,  Secretary-Treasurer, 

14  Beacon  St.,  Room  201,  Boston 


SOUTHERN  BRANCH 

Headquai'ters :  Baltimore,  Md. 

Ms  Blanchard  Randall,  Cloudcapped  Catonsville,  President 

Acting  Secretary-Treasurer,  Mr.  Douglas  M.  Wylie, 

412  North  Street,  Baltimore,  Md. 

CHICAGO  BRANCH 

Dr.  Geo.  W,  Webster,  President 

Wu.  A.  Douglass,  Treasurer,  Care  R.  G.  Dun  &  Co., 

New  York  Life  Building 

Mr.  Everett  Sisson,  Secretary,  69  Dearborn  St. 

BUFFALO  GRENFELL  ASSOCIATION 

Mr.  Hugh  Kennedy,  President 
Qifford  Hubbell,  Secretary  and  Treasurer,  Marine  Nat'l  Bank. 

KANSAS  CITY  BRANCH 

John  H.  Thacher,  President 

Dr..  R.  McE.  Schauffler,  Vice-President 

Thornton  Cooke.  Treasurer 

Henry  D.  Faxon,  Secretary 

MINNEAPOLIS  BRANCH. 
Rev.  H.  P.  Dewey,  D.D.,  President 
L.  K.  Thompson,  Vice-President 
R.  P.  Woodworth,  Secretary-Treasurer 

PHILADELPHIA  BRANCH 

J.  Frederick  Thomas,  902  Chestnut  Street 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C.  BRANCH 

Temporary  Committee 

Charles  Henry  Butler        Mr.  Henry  B.  F.  MacFarland 

Rev.  J  as.   H.  Taylor,  Secretary-Treasurer, 

304  Rhode  Island  Ave.,  N.  W. 


SPOKANE,  WASHINGTON 

Frederick  W.  Dewart,  Chairman 

Dr.  J.  H.  O'Shba  W.  D.  Vincent,  Treasurer 


ii/WHiffi^^^^ 


A     000  654  562 


A  Fishing  Fleet 


Greylock"  Dr.  Grenfell's  Reindeer 


The  Strathcona  in  Company  with  an  Iceberg 


Hospital,  Battle  Harbor,  Labrador 


"Doc"  Dr.  Qrenfell's  Doc 


The  Hospital  Ship  Strathcona 


